What Is The Rotator Cuff?

Have you been diagnosed with a Rotator Cuff problem and are feeling nervous and lost? Most people get diagnosed with these problems and their doctor does not even explain what the Rotator Cuff is. Fully understanding your problem is the first step to fixing it and getting back to a pain free life and seeing a Chiropractor for active people can be

helpful. The Rotator Cuff is one of the most common sources of shoulder pain. It is also a very misunderstood muscle group. This group of muscles is prone to tendon issues, tears, weakness and general dysfunction. Fully understanding what these muscles do and how they interact with the rest of the shoulder can help to identify problems and quickly treat and rehab people to get them functioning better again. 

Function

The Rotator Cuff does a lot more than just rotate the shoulder. It’s primary function is to provide stability through the unstable shoulder joint. As you begin to move your arm the Rotator Cuff works to pull your arm further into your shoulder socket to maintain stability through the movement. This provides increased stability through the movement. If these problems go on unchecked it can continue to cause shoulder and even neck pain as well. 

Muscle 1: Supraspinatus

This is the muscle that most commonly causes problems. Most tears and tendon problems are associated with this muscle. It runs from the top of your shoulder blade out to your arm and works with the deltoid to lift your arm out to the side. 

Muscle 2: Infraspinatus

This muscle comes from the lower portion of the shoulder blade and attaches to the arm as well. This muscle controls rotating your arm out to the side. 

Muscle 3: Teres Minor

Not to be confused with the Teres Major. This muscle works with the infraspinatus to rotate the arm out. It also help to pull the arm back and in as well. 

Muscle 4: Subscapularis

This is the only one that comes from the front of your shoulder blade. It connects out to the arm and works to rotate your arm in. 

Imaging Results

Since this muscle group is so important it takes a beating during a lifetime. Many people will end up being diagnosed with tears, tendonitis and shoulder impingement. Shoulder pain is often associated with these types of issues and may continue to flare up over time. An important aspect to remember is that most people over the age of 65 will have some type of finding on imaging associated with the Rotator Cuff. The same goes for overhead athletes such as baseball players and swimmers. As common as these findings are, the pain is not always correlated. Even people who have no shoulder pain or history of shoulder pain may still findings on imaging. So if you have been diagnosed with a problem in your Rotator Cuff it does not mean that is is relevant or a need for surgery or injections.

Rehabilitation

The way we treat these issues in the clinic is to do a thorough assessment to make sure that it truly is the pain generator. Then through a combination of soft tissue work, stability and exercise we can begin to rehab these problems and get back on track to return to activity again. Reach out for a consultation with a Sports Chiropractor if you feel like you need help with this.